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Verdi's Luisa Miller – a Survey of the Major Recordings

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Verdi's Luisa Miller – a Survey of the Major Recordings Verdi’s Luisa Miller – a survey of the major recordings by Ralph Moore First performed in 1849, Luisa Miller, was the last of Verdi's middle-period, anni de galera operas. It was a transitional and experimental opera for Verdi, ushering in a more mature style with more lyrical elements, some interesting musical innovations and greater psychological penetration of the kind evinced by the insight of the a cappella quartet which ends Act II. Adapted from Schiller’s Kabale und Liebe, the plot places more emphasis upon love than intrigue and the setting is essentially realistic and bourgeois; the drama is domesticated, thus lacking the epic sweep of larger-scale operas. Musically, too, it is predominately gentler in character, employing prominent woodwind and a cantilena more in the line of Bellini; the score responds to a lighter hand, is very melodic throughout and often memorable. Nonetheless, it is a rather grim and dismal tale, ending melodramatically in the last scene which is highly dramatic and declamatory, culminating in two needless suicides and a murder. As is so often the case with Verdi, the central relationships are those between two doomed lovers and between parents and children. The father-daughter exchanges beginning Act III and Luisa’s death scene are especially touching, foreshadowing Rigoletto. There is one substantial role for every voice-type plus two basses, so a good cast and ensemble without weaknesses are crucial. The most celebrated item is Rodolfo’s, “Quando le sere al placido” but there are lovely arias for Luisa and Miller, too, and some extended duets. As such, it has attracted great singers; Rodolfo, along with Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera, was among Pavarotti’s favourite roles and he features below in four recordings, more than any other tenor. Domingo has recorded it twice and it has been in the repertoire of virtually every important tenor of the last sixty years – even Corelli, who ducked out of performing it at the Met and to whom the role was hardly suited. I quote from the operavivra.com website: “Plácido Domingo advanced his Met debut (if only by four days) in September 1968 when Corelli cancelled his part in Adriana Lecouvreur less than an hour before curtain time. The excuse was hoarsness [sic].” It has been somewhat neglected by recording companies; there are only four studio and about fifty live recordings in the catalogue, whereas Macbeth, composed two years earlier, has over twice as many studio and live recordings, and Rigoletto, two years later, four times as many live and no fewer than ten times as many studio versions. Nonetheless, it remains more popular than its predecessor, La battaglia di Legnano, and successor, Stiffelio, has retained a place in the repertoire and provides a very satisfying evening’s entertainment. That relative paucity of recordings means that I consider nowhere near as many as in most previous operatic surveys but, as usual, I have confined myself to recordings in Italian and, for the most part, included live recordings only if they are both in listenable sound and of exceptional artistic quality, making a total of twelve. A whole clutch of really superb recordings was made in the 70’s as the opera gained popularity and the right singers were on the circuit to perform it, then there is a As I tirelessly – and, no doubt, for some, tiresomely - observe in every survey, the standard of singing in general begins to drop off starting about a generation ago and there has not been a studio account since Levine’s in 1991. The Recordings Mario Rossi – 1951 (live radio broadcast; mono) Cetra; Warner Fonit; Mondo Musica; Opera d’Oro Orchestra & Chorus - RAI Roma Luisa - Lucy Kelston Rodolfo - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi Miller - Scipio Colombo Walter - Giacomo Vaghi Federica - Miti Truccato Pace MusicWeb International July 2020 Verdi’s Luisa Miller survey Wurm - Duilio Baronti Laura - Grazia Calaresu Contadino - Salvatore De Tommaso This live radio performance was broadcast marked the 50th anniversary of Verdi’s death and has an energised and experienced conductor, a fine orchestra and chorus and a distinguished cast recorded in clean, narrow mono, all constituting a tempting prospect for the opera aficionado. Cetra’s sound could be edgy and toppy but this is perfectly acceptable, without distortion – one of the best of this provenance I have heard. However, there are some severe cuts, including the whole of one scene, such that we lose the best part of half an hour of music – most performances run to nearly two and a quarter hours whereas this is just over an hour and three-quarters. The cast consists of distinguished singers all of whom had significant careers singing in major houses but only Lauri-Volpi is still really famous. However, he was nearly sixty here and somewhat past his best after many years on stage; his lyric-dramatic tenor has turned hard and nasal, his phrasing can be gusty and unsteady, especially in soft singing, and he sometimes goes flat; top notes are intact, however and he brings plenty of temperament to his singing, still producing thrilling sounds when in can belto mode. Lucy Kelston has a flexible, sometimes rather shrill, piping soprano but she has some lower register and sings both prettily and con gusto, especially in her death scene. Colombo has a neat, elegant baritone and Vaghi was a major bass of his era, sharing his contemporary Pasero’s quick vibrato and dark timbre but occasionally experiencing problems with his intonation. Miti Truccato Pace is a warm-voiced Federica but her role is so severely cut that it is reduced to a few phrases; the second scene of Act 1 containing the duet where she offers her bosom to Rodolfo’s sword has gone. The Wurm is adequate if a bit cloudy-voiced. Both basses’ parts are trimmed. The Laura is a Minnie Mouse soubrette. This might not be anyone’s first choice given the cuts, limited sound and some vocal failings but it remains idiomatic and highly enjoyable. Nino Sanzogno – 1963 (live; mono) Urania; Premiere, Encore Orchestra & Chorus - Teatro Massimo di Palermo Luisa - Antonietta Stella Rodolfo - Giuseppe di Stefano Miller - Cornell MacNeil Walter - Raffaele Arié Federica - Oralia Domínguez Wurm - Enrico Campi Laura - Laura Zannini Contadino - Glauco Scarlini Another starry cast promises much; it might be getting a bit late in the day in Di Stefano’s short but brilliant career but he is in charge here, singing out with passion and confidence. The audience responds enthusiastically to his big aria and really he sounds as good ever. Stella, too, is in excellent voice: she has power and agility but still sounds young and sensitive; the slight break in her voice and smoky timbre remind me of Leyla Gencer. Her sustained top notes are impressive. MacNeil repeats a splendid, generous-voiced Miller which despite its robustness is capable of being softened to convey pathos. However, he may be heard to much better advantage in his studio recording conducted by Cleva. Oralia Domínguez was the finest mezzo of her era and Arié is firm and sonorous, completing a first-rate team of soloists. Unfortunately, poor sound puts this out of court whatever its merits, so I include it here as a warning to the casual browser: this is territory only for the committed devotee of historical recordings who MusicWeb International p2 Verdi’s Luisa Miller survey wants to hear the artists in question. That is such a pity because the singing here is really excellent and Sanzogno’s conducting is ideal. Fausto Cleva – 1965 (studio; stereo) RCA Orchestra & Chorus - RCA Italiana Orchestra Luisa - Anna Moffo Rodolfo - Carlo Bergonzi Miller - Cornell MacNeil Walter - Giorgio Tozzi Federica - Shirley Verrett Wurm - Ezio Flagello Laura - Gabriella Carturan Contadino - Piero De Palma This is a good a cast as could be assembled in the mid-60’s, every principal singer being a major star and working under an experienced conductor directing an orchestra wholly habituated to the Verdian idiom. Cleva conducts unobtrusively and really supports his singers but is sometimes rather brisk and unyielding. I find the casting here marginally preferable to that of the Decca studio recording in that Caballé sounds too matronly compared with Moffo’s naïveté and Milnes is a bit woolly compared with MacNeil - but Pavarotti is great there and the conducting is more exciting. Unlike too many exponents of the role of Frederica, Verrett here tames her opulent sound here to be both more vulnerable and incisive, inflecting the words sensitively. Cornell MacNeil uses his lovely, pharyngeally resonant, true Verdian baritone tastefully, if not over-subtly, Moffo sounds pure and innocent while despatching the coloratura easily and Bergonzi is his usual model of style and restraint, but still rises to the passion of "Quando le sere al placido". My MusicWeb colleague Göran Forsling shares my admiration for this set and delineates many of its virtues so I won’t further elaborate but refer you to his review. Thomas Schippers – 1968 (live; mono) Sony; Nuova Era; Memories; Living Stage Orchestra & Chorus - Metropolitan Opera Luisa - Montserrat Caballé Rodolfo - Richard Tucker Miller - Sherrill Milnes Walter - Giorgio Tozzi Federica - Louise Pearl Wurm - Ezio Flagello Laura - Nancy Williams Contadino - Lou Marcella This is yet another in the series of re-mastered issues of the Saturday matinee broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera in what from our perspective definitely now looks like its heyday. While it stands to reason that not all of them are equally valuable, the standard has been astonishing high and serves to remind us what a really top-class opera cast looks like when drawn from a roster which has talent in depth, as opposed to today's unseemly scramble by the big houses to nab the one or two singers in the world capable of singing Verdi to the requisite standard.
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